Process for extraction of mercury from its ores and other materials.



the solution in a Arts Pa rnn'r PROCESS FOR EXTRACTION OF MERCURY FROMITS ORES AND OTHER MATERIALS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN BRYANT THORNHILL, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, and resident of Gray Summit, in the county ofFranklin, State of Missouri, in the United States of America, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Extractionof Mercury from its Ores and other Materials, of which the -lt'o-llowingis a specification.

The invention relates to a process for the extraction of mercury fromits ores or other materials, and the objects of the invention are toexercise economy in regard to the costs incidental to the production ofmercury and to provide an efficient method that will insure a maximumquantity of mercury from a given quantity of the material from which itis extracted, and it consists essentially of the steps in or about theorder named, together with the substances used, all being set forth indetail hereinafter and pointed out in the claims for novelty followingthis description. This method is based on the allinity of mercury sulfidto a solution containing an alkali sulfid and an alkali hydroxid, sothat when the ore or other ma terial containing mercury sulfid istreated with this solution, the mercury will leave the original materialand go with the solution. The preferable constituents of the solutionare sulfid of sodium and hydroxid of sodium.

The solvent, consisting of the solution carrying the mercury that hasbeen ext acted, is brought into contact with a metallic substance,aluminum or chromium, or any other metal that is soluble in an alkalihydroxid and does not form the sulfid in the wet way, so that themercury contained in said solution will be precipitated as finelydivided metallic mercury and the metallic substance used as precipitantwill go into the solution. The preferable manner of carrying out thewithdrawal of the mercury from the solution is to add the metallicprecipitant in a finely divided state to the solution during the violentagitation of the latter, thus thoroughly separating all of the mercuryfrom the solution. The mercury withdrawn from finely divided state isrubbed or otherwise treated to bring the Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

Application filed January 12, 1914. Serial No. 811,592.

small particles into intimate contact with each other and thereby bringsaid mercury into a fluid condition. The straining of the or chamoisfluid product through a textile fluid condi-I-IgS-kNznS-l-XI-LO:NafilIgSXl-LO.

Precipitation and regeneration:

\Vhat I claim is:

1. The herein described process for the extraction of mercury from itsores and other nuirterials consisting in first treating the ore or othermaterial with an alkali sulfid and an alkali hydroxid in solution andcarrying the mercury with said solution, and withdrawing said mercuryi'rom said solution by the addition of a precipitant to the latter.

2. The herein described process -for the extraction of mercury from itsores and other materials consisting in treating the ore or othermaterial with a solution of alkali sullid and alkali hydroxid, andadding to the solution a metallic substance as a precipitant, andthereby separating the merucry from said solution.

3. The herein described process for the extraction of mercury from itsores or other materials consisting in treating the ore or othermaterials with a solution composed of sulfid of sodium and hydroxid ofsodium, and thereby carrying the mercury into the solution and addingaluminum to said solution as a precipitant, and thereby separating themercury from said solution.

4. The herein described process for the extraction of mercury from itsores and other materials consisting in treatingthe ore or other materialwith a solution composed of an alkali sulfid and an alkali hydroxid,then adding a metallic substance to the solution Signed at the city ofToronto, this 2d day and separating the mercury from the soluofDecember, 1913.

tion, then rubbing the finely divided parti.- EDWIN BRYANT THORNHILL.cles of mercury together, bringing the mer- Witnesses:

5 cury into a fluid condition, and finally THOMAS R. JONES, strainingthe fluid. F. G. HAMMOND.

(1012mm oi this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

